Lying Eyes
by Gravity's Child
Summary: Sequel to Rewind. When Iruka discoverers that his entire past has been a lie, he's not very happy. But it also doesn't help that Hatake Kakashi has been trying to push him to his breaking point. So what happens when he finally reaches it? A huge mess, a missing-nin schoolteacher, and a missing member of the Uchiha family suddenly appearing. KIND OF ON HOLD
1. Chapter 1

**I hope this works out well and if it does, I'll consider writing more chapters. Because I've lost my muse on my other two stories (Check 'em out. They're called The Mask is Removed and Many New Emotions!), I've decided to created this new one. It'll give me something to write about and I need the distraction. Plus the Plot Bunnies have been constantly bugging me to get this written. Oi vey. I apologize for any mistakes.**

It had all been a lie. His whole life. This was not how he had imagined his future to be, not at all. Iruka stared at the nin he used to consider his 'friend' and tried not to gag. Well, he wouldn't call the man a nin anymore, more like a corpse. Flicking his blade slowly, the former Chuunin let the body slide off of the weapon, ignoring the sickening thud as it hit the ground, before turning and disappearing into the forest. This was not supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to be like this, but if anything, Iruka blamed it on the eyes. He wasn't supposed to have those dammed eyes. But he did, silently proclaiming his relation to one of the most powerful clans that existed. But wait, let's rewind and find out how this all began.

_He had woken up earlier that day, actually relaxed for once, enjoying the morning air. It was warm in Kohona, something that was rare as it was normally hot during this time of the year. Iruka suspected that it was because of the rainstorm that had ended less than a few hours ago, leaving the air moist and cool. It felt. . . nice. Glaring at the monstrosity that he called his alarm clock, Iruka sighed and rolled over. 7:15 AM. He had less than half an hour to make it to the school before it was burned down by the Pre-Genin. Sighing again, the Chuunin sat up and stomped into his bathroom, wrenched the shower knobs on towards 'hot' and stepped in. He was out in three minutes when the heat of the water became too much to bear. Not like he really cared anyway. Getting dressed was accomplished even faster, along with putting his hair up and locking his house. Iruka finished his bread roll on the way to the Academy. The time? 7:25 AM. He was actually early for once. But he didn't care. This monotone life was boring and for once, Iruka wished that something exciting would happen._

_His students filed silently into the classroom. They had sensed that their Sensei was in a good mood, so they had high hopes for an outdoor class. At least, they would get one as long as Kohakaru kept his mouth shut. There was something about that boy that spelled trouble and Iruka wasn't sure if it was the fact that his parents were Jounin, or the fact that he was friends with Naruto. Either way, the boy was a ball of fire and the Chuunin wasn't sure if he could handle it today._

"_Kohakaru? Can you do me a favor and be quiet today? I'm not feeling my best. . ." The class was silent. They understood as much as they could. Their precious Iruka-Sensei was tired and he needed a class that would behave, not a rowdy annoyance. _

"_Yes Iruka-Sensei!" Kohakaru chirped, then fell silent. And true to his word, he did behave. The rest of the school day went by quickly, with no problems. And as soon as the bell had rung, the Pre-Genin had tiptoed out of the room hoping that their beloved Sensei would feel better tomorrow. Iruka smiled softly, they were little gems. Not like those dammed Jounin, ESPECIALLY Hatake Kakashi. Hell, if you looked up 'Asshole' in the dictionary, the man's picture would be right beside it. Iruka had made sure of that one. Wasted a lot of time and glue, but well worth the effort. Especially when Anko had found it and had started looking up bad words. She had shrieked in laughter and ran off to show it around. People were __**still **__guessing who had pasted that picture in. Hatake had liked the attention at the beginning, but after the incident at the hot springs __(1)__, he wasn't very happy about it anymore. Iruka thought that it was a riot, but never said anything. Why would he? The man was light-years above him. _

_The Missions Office was a mess when he arrived. Anko had started a wrestling match in the middle of the room and was now taking bets using his desk. The ceiling fan had been removed and one of the Chuunins was desperately trying to put it back before the 'Terror of the Office'__(2) __came in. Slowly the irate teacher took a breath. This was going to be interesting._

"_May I ask exactly __**what**__ is going on in here?" The question was softly spoken, but everyone heard it. Anko froze, then slowly looked up, her face going pale at the sight of Iruka in the doorway._

"_R-r-ruka!" She hopped off the desk. Iruka tilted his head slightly and smiled. The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees and several people shivered. The smart Chuunin who knew what was going to happen snuck out of the room. Out of the corner of his eyes, Iruka noticed Hatake leaning against the wall. He looked smug for some reason. Damn. Iruka just knew that he had another one of his messy reports to hand in._

"_**Anko. What is going on?**__" His voice was silky smooth and the female Jounin took a step back. She knew this voice, this was the voice that promised pain and death. _

"_We were just having a little fun. . . . ."_

"_Really? Then why is my desk upside down, and the ceiling fan on the floor? And wrestling? Anko, I thought you were smarter than this." She flinched, and Iruka smiled sweetly, "Clean it up," before moving over to his desk. The Chuunin bent down and flipped the thing over with surprising ease and settled down into his chair, completely ignoring Anko in the background._

"_NEXT!"_

_(1) The incident at the Hot Springs is no longer talked about, but for those of you who want to know, it involved Anko, Gai, Iruka, Tsunade, body glitter, spandex, and a shrieking Pervert Sannin. Tsunade banned the subject so that's all I can tell you without getting in trouble._

_(2) Terror of the Office is Iruka, he had ended up nearly killing a Jounin with his glare, but most people thought that it was a myth. The Chuunins', however, knew the truth. _


	2. Chapter 2

"_Are you listening to me Hatake? I said 'Next.' That means you give me your mission report." Kakashi Hatake glanced over his Icha Icha book, giving the slightly ticked Chuunin a look before going back to read his porn. Scratch slightly, the needle on the Rage Meter was moving quickly towards "Run for your lives, he's homicidal today!" section of the gauge. Izumo had grabbed his lover and both men were inching towards the exit, but broke into a quick walk when Iruka's vein twitched. This wasn't going to end well, both men could see that right now. It seemed that Iruka's old students had also noticed the tick in their former Sensei's vein, and they too were backing away slowly. They knew what would happen, and they wished mercy on the poor man's soul. Oh wait, this was Kakashi they were talking about. He deserved every moment of the torture that would follow. _

"_Hatake fucking Kakashi, hand me your mission report. . ." Iruka trailed off, hoping that he wouldn't have to finish his threat. He was __**not**__; and I mean not with a capital N; in the mood for Kakashi's mind games. This wasn't how he had pictured this day going. The Chuunins' that knew what was going to happen felt sorry for the Jounin. Iruka was evil when he was pissed, and often went for the hair dye, itching cream, and even go as far as waving something shiny in their faces. Especially when he was feeling homicidal. They just wished that Kakashi wouldn't piss the teacher off when they were still in the room. They weren't stupid, and all the men liked their ball sacs right where it was. In between their legs, not stuffed down their throats(1) like "his" had been. It was a general rule that they didn't talk about "him." All the Genin found out about it eventually, but after a quick interrogation session with Iruka(2), none of them ever said anything. _

_But perhaps it was the monotone that made Iruka go insane, but the thing was none of the village Shinoubi were prepared for the day when Iruka had disappeared. He had just vanished, gone from his home. When Tsunade had said that she hadn't assigned him a mission, they realized that someone had made them loose their best teacher. And now? Tsunade was out for blood._

(1) Old incident in which Mitzuki tried to rape Iruka in the forest. He was found dead with his ball sac split into two. One had been shoved up his ass, and the other had gone down his throat. It had not been a pretty sight and several of the ANBU had thrown up after the first look. (Don't tell them that I told you as they will deny it then hunt me down and kill me for anything in the first place)

(2)Ibiki liked to have Iruka help out with the interrogation sessions as he could make men cry within a minute or two. The teachers would bring the Genin that had found out about "him", and they would let them watch as Iruka interrogated a prisoner. It often made the Genin team cry, and that was when they learned not to say anything. Though there was one kid who brought it up. He was found dead the next morning with the kanji for "nature" carved into his arm. Iruka's method was very effective and was often how Kohona knew things that the other villages didn't. Like I said, Iruka was often the Ace of T&I.

**Alright. I know this is shorter than you would have liked (It's only 670 or so words), but it's the last of the back story that I'm planning on sharing with you guys. Next week's chapter will start with what is happening and I will introduce a new character. Trust me, it's worth the wait. **

**A big SHOUT OUT of THANKS! goes to TjRythum for her BETAing work on the last chapter. And possibly this one too. Assuming I get around to sending it to her.**


	3. Chapter 3

Kakashi frowned. This was the second time this week. But the man never seemed to target any of the nins that were currently part of any villages. Nope, it was just the missing-nins and criminal-nins that had been dying randomly. He glanced around the clearing where several bodies lay. Gaara was there as well, kneeling beside what used to be the corpse of a missing Sand nin, it was unrecognizable now. He grimaced before turning around to take a clear look at the clearing. Shardigan whirling around, he let his eyes roam over the damage of what used to be a pristine clearing in the middle of the woods. Blood was splattered on the trees, and three men were lying dead in the middle. They had been moved from their original positions so that the med-nins could check them. Sakura had taken one look and confirmed what he already knew. They were all dead. Whoever had done this had been deadly and fast. He glanced at the dead nins again. One from the Sand, one from the Rock and one from the Mist. The Rock nin's head was still attached to the trunk of a tree by a sharp blade, but know that Kakashi looked closer at it, he realized that this was an ANBU blade. Not one that he knew though. Looking closer, he noted the Leaf symbol that had been slashed through. Whistling lowly, he called Tsunade over to see it. Her eyebrows went to her hairline.

"I don't recognize the blade..."

"Neither do I." Both heads snapped up to see Ibiki. He sighed and gestured to the sword. "It's well made, but unfortunately, it's not one I've seen before. The owner must have been careful to not use it around us." Kakashi turned around.

"This isn't good." He walked slowly to the other end of the clearing and touched a blood splattered tree. "It's the third one in the last week. And still no clue as to whoever's doing this." Tsunade sighed as well, Ibiki just nodded. This was becoming a pain. Life had been difficult ever since Iruka had left, and Tsunade was still pissed at him. She had been mad enough to punch him straight through several solid walls. He'd felt that one for several days after and Genma still refused to talk to him. Not like he cared though. Kakashi thought back to when he had taken care of Iruka after Tsunade had turned him into an eight year old. It had been an interesting experience none the less, but not one he was willing to have a repeat of. A strangled shriek from Sakura made him whip around.

The girl was on the ground with a brown-haired man standing at her feet. He was wearing a green tunic, brown fur pants, and boots. On his face was a multicolored mask. He glanced at them, black eyes meeting Kakashi's own. A strangled noise wrenched its way from the Copy Nin's throat when he caught sight of those eyes. Moving quickly, the man ripped the blade from the tree —ignoring the head as it hit the ground— before turning around.

"My thanks for not removing this, Shinoubi." His voice was a low purr, mainly so that they couldn't recognize his voice. "As thanks, I'll tell you my name. It's Hiroki." A pause. "Hiroki Uchila." Sasuke let out a strangled noise.

"How?"

"Fuguku was my uncle. I'm your cousin Sasuke..." He snickered softly. "Shocked?" Sasuke could only nod dumbly, staring at the Shardigins' spinning lazily behind that mask. Now, if you asked Kakashi later, he would deny it. But in the heat of the moment, he couldn't help but stare at the man's ass. It was a damn good one too... Shaking his head slightly, Kakashi frowned. It was visible even through the familiar mask he wore. When he looked up again, Hiroki was gone. Damn.

They had all decided to meet in Tsunade's office. She was pacing back and forth when they had gotten there, and she was still doing it now.

"Enough dammit! You're giving me a headache!" She jumped before shooting Kakashi a nasty glare, then settled for sitting in her chair at her desk.

"Well, we know who is doing it, but we don't know why."

"Wait. Who is doing this?" Genma spoke up. Right he hadn't been there.

"Tsunade sighed. "He said that his name was Hiroki. Uchila Hiroki." Genma gaped silently before sputtering.

"But I thought all the Uchilas except Sasuke were dead! You know, gone?" She nodded.

"That's what I thought. But that's what name he gave us."

"How do you know he isn't lying?"

"...That's the thing." She sighed. "I don't."

"He's not lying." All eyes turned to Kakashi.

"And how did you know that?"

"He had the Shardigans'." She raised an eyebrow. "In both eyes." Finally understanding, Tsunade nodded. Only members of the Uchila family could have the Shardigan in both eyes. He was obviously one of them."I didn't see what form he had, but it wasn't the basic ones." Kakashi sighed. "I miss Iruka. He would be able to make the entire room brighter." He fell silent and everyone knew that he meant it. Kakashi wasn't one to incorrectly describe someone, so when he said it, it was certain to be true. The man hung his head. He was so tired. This wasn't how he had expected this week to be. A hectic mess, and damn did he need someone to cheer him up. It was such a shame that this certain person was no longer around to do so. And it was his own ignorance that had cause this problem in the first place. Kakashi sighed again, placing his head in between his knees and closed his eye. Obito's eye had stopped crying a few days ago —no longer able to produce any more tears— and Kakashi couldn't help but wish that he hadn't messed up his only chance at having a happy life with the tanned Sensei. But knowing himself, he probably already had. Yup, life officially sucked for Hatake Kakashi. And if you don't believe him, you can ask to see his signed certificate.


	4. Chapter 4

Soft chocking laughter passed through pale lips as the masked man lifted the S-class nin criminal up. The man screamed in pain as the sharp blade slid into the depths of his belly. Hiroki smiled darkly before twisting the blade around, loving the sound of bones breaking. It was perfect music to his ears, and he swore that he'd never grow tired of it. But perhaps he was sad in a way. He wouldn't have someone to love him, mainly because he killed all those who knew his real name. Yes he was an Uchila, but Hiroki wasn't his name. It was actually something different, but a desire to protect himself was there, so he had changed it. Now if he could just survive. The silver haired nin was cute though, not that it mattered. He was just another person Hiroki would eventually kill.

When he reached the lake, Hiroki stripped and slid into the water. He was sick of humanity, tired of living, and exhausted with the world in general. He gently removed his mask, staring down at the reflection that stared back at him from the water. Dark hair, dark skin, and dark eyes to match. He grinned darkly and watched as the familiar chocolate brown color gave way to the swirling red of the Shardigans'. The famous Copy-nin had been surprised to see him, not to mention Feline. The newest members of the ANBU had made a splash. Feline, Lupine, Kitsune, and Myshi. Feline was the male with the Shardigans', black hair and a general dislike for the world. Kitsune was different, he smelled like Feline, though he had blonde hair and blue eyes. Lupine was a male with long brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Myshi was a female, looked a lot like Lupine. Hiroki guessed that they were cousins. Not that he cared though.

Life in general sucked, and sucked bad. It wasn't like he really understood why though. It seemed that no matter where he went, bad things seemed to follow him. Sighing softly, he gently retied the mask over his face and redressed quickly. He had places to go to, things to deliver, and people to kill. Not that it mattered much. He was just a tool. Though Hiroki wasn't quite sure about that. Actually, the killer had a guilty pastime. He liked to play matchmaker with the members of the Akutsuki. It was fun, especially when he got to watch them have hot sex in front of him. Ahh, the perks of being able to become invisible.

So far he'd been able to get three pairings. Deidara and Sasori was the first one of the three. They were cute together. The Puppet Master and the Artist. It actually worked out well. Then there was Kakuzu and Hidan. It was an interesting pairing, considering that they were on the opposite sides for most things, but it seemed to be working out. Then there was his favorite, Kisame and Itachi. After all, it wasn't everyday that you got the see Uchila Itachi being screwed into a table. Or anything else that could hold their combined weight. Practically the hottest thing that he had ever seen. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could convince them to. . . . . . . . . . . hmm. That was a good idea. And with that thought in mind, Hiroki leapt to shore and turned towards the Akatsuki Hideout. He had a message to deliver.

Slipping through the door to the hideout, Hiroki managed to make it to Itachi's room. He had met the man before, so the former Leaf nin hoped that this would work. Moving silently, he gently touched the sleeping Akatsuki member's arm, shaking him awake. When Itachi's left eye snapped open, Hiroki jumped back, dodging the kunai to the throat.

"Who are you?" Hiroki said nothing, just reached back and untied his mask. The strangled noise from Itachi clearly said that he recognized the intruder.

"You. . . You are. . ."

"I am."

"What do you need, Uchila?"

"Hiroki is fine."

"Not your real name?"

"I'm a missing-nin now."

"What? But you love your village too much!"

"I was driven to the edge." Itachi nodded silently.

"What now?"

"Do you want to leave?"

"Huh?"

"Do you want to leave the Akatsuki? With Kisame?"

"How do you know. . .."

"Because I've been playing matchmaker with you guys."

"I wondered why he kept getting pushed onto me. . . Anyway, leave? Where would we go?"

" 保護者の隠された村"

"But that village doesn't exist."

"It does. I know where it is. I can take you there if you want."

Itachi stood up. "I don't know. I'll have to ask Kisame."

"Ask quickly. You can only get to it this week."

Dressing quickly Itachi made a move to bolt from the room, but Hiroki grabbed his arm.

"Go to Mt. Mikoto if you are coming with me and bring anyone else who wants to come." He let it go and watched as Sasuke's older brother disappeared from the room.

Maybe, just maybe, he could save these people.

**NOTES:**

**In case you didn't guess. . .**

**Feline- Sasuke**

**Kitsune- Naruto**

**Lupine- Neji**

**Myshi (Mouse in Russian)- Hinata**

**保護者の隠された村****- Hidden Village of the Guardians**


	5. Chapter 5

By the time Hiroki had reached Mt. Mikoto, he found that Itachi was already there waiting for him. Alongside the Uchila were Kisame, Deidara, and Sasori.

"Hidan and Kakuzu died a few days ago. Tobi killed them."

"Ahh. I wondered why they weren't with you." Itachi sighed and turned around in a full circle.

"Where is this village? I don't see it."

"That's because you're not looking hard enough." Hiroki leapt to the ground from the tree that he had been standing on and turned to face the mountain. "It's in a valley in between the two highest peaks. We'll have to move quickly if we want to make it before the snows come." Silently the rest of the group nodded.

"We can take my bird, un."

"How many can it hold?"

"Two at most, but I can make two."

"Two's fine."

"What about you, ANBU-sa*grk* Deidara was cut off by a hand wrapping its way around his slender throat.

"Do NOT call me that!" Hiroki turned away from the group. "Follow me." The summon symbol surrounded the man, and a great beast appeared. Deidara tilted his head, suddenly curious, but not willing to risk his throat again. Finally Kisame spoke up.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's a Griffin." The creature in question was an interesting beast, and Deidara crept a little closer to see what it was made of. With a body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and an eagle's talons as its front feet, the being had quite a regal appearance. But what really unnerved the others was the beady glare that they were currently on the receiving end of. Shivering slightly, Deidara took several steps away before fishing two chunks of clay out of his pocket. Compressing them in his palms, Hiroki watched as two birds crawled over to the edge of his hands before jumping off. They enlarged as they fell, and when their talons finally touched the ground, both of them were big enough for the two couples. Kisame leapt on the back of the first one before pulling Itachi up in front of him while Sasori and Deidara took the other one. Hiroki easily landed on the back of the Griffin and all three bird like creatures took to the sky, Hiroki on constant lookout for the hidden village.

And not a moment too soon, for as soon as they had left the ground, several ANBU from Kohona burst through the greenery to land in the clearing. Hound and Rat cursed, watching as the winged beasts vanished in the distance. They'd been a little too slow.

"Damn. Where do ya think that they went?"

"Over the mountains, you god dammed idiot." Bee snarled at his lover, watching with amusement as Rat recoiled.

"Think we'll catch them?"

"Most likely not." All eyes snapped to Hound. "Those things that they were riding on are fast. I highly doubt that we'll even have a hope of touching those things within the next two weeks. Damn. We should have moved faster." The other ANBU in the group nodded.

Bee spoke up again, "Who was in the group?"

"It looked like Hiroki was there. And the red head had to be Sasori..."

"I saw Deidara and Kisame."

Feline spoke for the first time since the mission had started. "Itachi was there too..."

"So we have Itachi, Kisame, Sasori, Deidara, and Hiroki. That makes five. Is that it?"

"I think so..."

"Bee, Rat, Feline. Go to the left, try to follow their trail. Kitsune, Lupine, and I will take the right path. Stay away from them, but do try to scent out where they are. Move out."

"Yes sir!" The three men raced down the left path, jumping from rock to rock as they moved quickly and quietly across craggy ground. Kakashi turned his gaze to Kitsune and Lupine standing beside him. He was tired of this, but also slightly alarmed. Why was Hiroki suddenly disappearing? It didn't make sense.

"Hound-sama?" He grunted in response. "I was reading some scrolls the other day and I came across something that you might be interested in."

"And what would that be?"

"保護者の隠された村"

"And that is?"

"It's better known as the Village of the Guardians."

"But that village doesn't exist."

"It actually does. But only those who are looking for it, and know where to look for it, can find it. They might be heading for it."

"And how do you know this information?"

"I told you, I found it in a scroll. Apparently it was Iruka's father who discovered the village."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it doesn't say where though." Kakashi pursed his lips, gently biting on the bottom one before turning towards the path that led to the right.

"We should get moving. Do try to keep up with me."

"Yes sir." Kitsune smirked under his mask; at least Kakashi believed that it was a smirk.

"Lupine?"

"Hai?"

"Keep reading those scrolls and tell me if you find anything else. Anything that might lead us to this village."

"Well, there was one thing, but it's impossible to do anything about it."

Kakashi whirled around to face the brown haired ANBU. "What? Why?"

"We'd need Iruka-sensei first." Hound visibly deflated, a long sigh escaping his lips as he thought about the former teacher. He knew that he shouldn't have egged the teacher on, but he had never expected that the man would just up and disappear like that. Now he was stuck with several jobs. Catching Hiroki, finding Iruka, apologizing to the man, then confessing to him. Hound sighed again, this was going to be a long week, and he just knew it. Narrowing his eyes in concentration, he landed silently on the first rock, only checking behind him to make sure that the other two were following him. They were, and he didn't look back again, he was too wrapped up in his thoughts to care.

When the birds landed on the ground, there wasn't anything there. Deidara jumped off first and carefully poked around.

"Where do we go now?" Hiroki just laughed. It was a dark laugh, filled with too many emotions to name.

"It's on the other side of this peak."

"Can't we fly there?"

"No. The birds won't make it. There's a perpetual blizzard on top of the mountain, definitely not anything that these animals can handle. We have to walk. Don't leave any footprints behind." And with that, the former ANBU member from the Leaf took off, leaping silently from one rock to the next. Itachi frowned, glanced at the others, and then followed. He really didn't like being left behind like this, but there really wasn't anything that he could do about it. After all, Hiroki was the only one who knew where the village was. The frown deepened. What could have happened that had been bad enough to drive Hiroki away from his village? He remembered that the man loved his village, and would die protecting it, so why had he left? Actually, Itachi had a pretty decent idea, Kakashi. That damn Jounin didn't know when to shut up. He might have had quite a bit to do with Hiroki leaving Kohona. Just ahead of him, the man had stopped and Itachi gratefully sank down onto a rock.

"Is something wrong?"

"...No. We need to hurry if we're to get over the peak before the main storm hits the mountains. Plus those damned ANBU from Kohona aren't giving up." He grumbled under his breath, just what he needed, Jounins chasing them down. "If we're fast enough, we can leave them trapped on this side of the mountain, therefore forcing them to retreat." Itachi stood up slowly, grabbing Kisame's shoulder to keep from falling. He hadn't been feeling well lately, but had no clue as to why. Hiroki glanced his way, Sharingans whirling away under the mask, before a choked noise escaped from his lips. "Kisame, will you carry Itachi?"

"Sure." And with those words, the Shark-man scooped Itachi up, carrying him bridal style, but not so much against his will. In fact, it was welcomed, and Itachi quickly dozed off, his head pressed gently against Kisame's shoulder. Nodding quickly, Hiroki turned and jumped, easily clearing a large rift in the ground.

"We need to hurry. The storm is getting stronger and we're almost to the top." Taking a few steps back, Kisame raced forward, easily clearing the rift, even though he had extra weight, Deidara and Sasori were right behind him. Hiroki hadn't even bothered to look back; he was moving at an even pace, leaping swiftly and silently, but there was a charted course in his moves. Deidara swiftly realized what it was; he was making sure that they took the swiftest, easiest path possible.

"Damn..." Sasori shivered, it was getting cold, and quite quickly too. It seemed that Hiroki hadn't been exaggerating when he said that there was a perpetual blizzard up here. It was freezing, and it seemed as if the temperature was dropping fast. In Kisame's arms, Itachi shivered, burying his face into the warmth. In front of them, Hiroki's voice could be heard through the winds.

"Keep moving! We're over the top now." And they were. It was quite obvious when they had cleared the top of the mountain, the winds had died down slightly, and as soon as they were far enough away from the blizzard, Hiroki pointed out the village.

"Wow..." Deidara was shocked. The village actually existed.

"The Village of the Guardians is a village for S class missing-nin, and generally anyone who is no longer part of a village. It's basically a safe haven for everything and anyone." Hiroki said. The others glanced at him before racing down the mountain, their energy renewed with the endpoint in sight. Hiroki smiled under his mask. He hadn't been here in so long, not since he had been born here.

Kakashi skidded to a stop. The storm was too violent for them to continue, so there wasn't any choice except for them to retreat back to the village. To go back, lick their wounds, and return when the damned storm was gone. Although, they didn't know when it would be gone. Lupine hadn't found that information in the scrolls yet, but maybe he would. Hound certainly hoped so, he desperately wanted to catch that damned bastard. He growled. How did Hiroki think he was? Some sort of hero? "Tch." Asshole.

**Alright, I know you guys were looking forward to this chapter, but I have some bad news. I have my Keystones and Finals coming up, not to mention my brother's concert and my grandparents visiting, so you might not get a chapter next week. If you don't I promise that the chapter for the week after it will be 2000 words or more. Really. In fact, I'll make this promise now. Any week that I miss, the chapter after it will be a thousand words longer than usual. So if I miss two weeks, the next chapter will be three thousand words long. Sounds good? I hope it's up to your standards!**


	6. Chapter 6

Oh, by the way. I don't own this, nor do I make a profit from it. I just write this to improve my skills and for the enjoyment of others.

My characters are Kyushi, Shioki, Mikozu (Masashi Kishimoto owns the person, but there wasn't a name, so I gave him one.), Rikodo, and Takashiki. All the others are copyright by Masashi Kishimoto.

The village was very different from what the others had been expecting. There wasn't a Kage office, just a larger building. It really looked like they were prepared for living in the mountains. It turns out that there weren't a lot of civilians here; it was mainly ninjas that had fled from their villages. It was actually very pretty. Mountain flowers were growing everywhere and it was warm in the valley. Deidara was ecstatic when he saw the young man making a statue out of clay, and couldn't help but hurry over. He bent down next to the man and touched the statue gently before picking up the clay and creating an arm. It was one of the few things that didn't explode. The other man was impressed and laughed loudly when Deidara created a bird using the hands on his mouth.

"Haven't seen ya'll 'round 'ere before. Ahh! Hiroki! It's great to see ya 'gain! Must be tha new ones that ya've been talkin' 'bout." Hiroki nodded, easily following the man's speaking habits. The others, however, could barely make it out."

"Uhum. They're yours Rikodo. Might as well introduce yourself though. And don't touch me. I prefer not to wash clay out of my clothing."

"Tch. Ya too prissy. Take that damn stick outta that ass of yaurs, and we'll talk." It earned him a glare from Hiroki before the man sighed and sat down. He picked up the clay and started to mold it gently. Deidara immediately sat down beside him and joined in.

"Un! Sasori, you can make a puppet!"

"Why don't you do it?"

"Don't wanna, un. Do it yourself." Sasori sighed but gave in and, picking up a good sized chunk, began to mold a puppet's face.

"Right ya'll. I'm Rikodo, the head of this village. To accept youse, I'ma needing ya'lls names and what village you'se from. Ya know, just so I can lie to whatever people are lookin' for ya'lls.

"Un! Me first! I'm Deidara from Iwagakure."

"Sasori. Sunagakure."

"Itachi." The Mayor froze, he had been trying to figure out why they seemed familiar. Then it hit them, they were from the Akatsuki. " Konohagakure."

"Kisame. Kiriagkure."

"Alright. So that's who I gotta lie to. What'sa matter Hiroki?"

"We had to outrun a bunch of Kohona ANBU to make it here before the storm got too bad."

"Aah. Gotcha. Be onna lookout then. Not like thay'll find us though. Shield spells are 'mazing."

"Mmm... Haven't been home in years..."

"That's right. Ya were born 'ere, weren't ya, Hiroki?"

"Yup. How are you anyway?"

"Ehh, gettin' 'long fine. Beena good yar."

"A good what?" Deidara spoke up from where he had been molding his clay.

"A good yar."

"He means a good year, Deidara."

"How can you understand him?"

"Used to it. You'll get it eventually Deidara. Anyway, I have to leave." Hiroki turned to leave when Itachi doubled over coughing. The man had collapsed in Kisame's arms, his body shaking with every one before his eyes slipped shut and he lost consciousness. Kisame looked panicked, something that the others hadn't seen in a long time.

"Well, there goes me leaving anytime soon... Carry him gently; Rikodo should have a house ready for you guys."

"Ayh do. This wai." Rikodo turned and began to walk towards one of the homes close towards the middle of the village. Hiroki had already begun to suspect what was wrong with Itachi, but he hadn't known for the beginnings to start this close.

Kakashi sighed before turning his head to look into the classroom again. Iruka's old students were terrorizing the teacher again, and the poor Jounin was having a hard time remaining sane. Iruka would have been able to handle this easily, he realized, and he felt a jab of guilt. He had been the one to push the poor Chuunin too far, it was his fault. He sighed again. They couldn't get over that damned mountain until Neji was done reading the scroll. It wasn't the mountain itself that was the problem; it was the blizzard that was currently happening on top of it. They needed a time frame for when they could slip through it. And that was exactly what Neji was looking for. He had been pouring over the scrolls for the past two days since they had returned, and had barely eaten. Apparently Hinata had to force feed him occasionally, he was so intent on finding the information. Not that it would matter much, there wasn't a lot of info about it. Iruka's father had been damn lucky when he had crossed the mountain, but he hadn't mentioned the date when he had made it through the snowstorm. A lot of it was information about the village, but there was a part that said there were several dates when the blizzard had died down. There weren't any specifics though, and Neji could often be found cursing the man out.

He drew a slow breath in, his gaze flickering back to the classroom where Genma was currently struggling. That poor man. Suddenly Kakashi had a lot of respect for Iruka, he had been able to deal with it for such a long time, and he was only a Chuunin! Though, having respect for the man wasn't going to bring him back, and Kakashi began to think about how he would apologize to the tan Sensei. But first things first, he had to find out if Lyla got her man. He flipped open his Icha Icha book, volume 8, but froze when he saw the word Sensei on the page. Instantly he had a vision. One of him and Iruka in the teacher's classroom after hours with Iruka bent over the desk, his face flushed in pleasure. Kakashi stood behind him, pounding the gorgeous man's ass into the table. Snapping himself back to reality, Kakashi shook his head hard. He didn't need that in his mind, especially not right now. He slammed his book shut, slipped it back into his pocket and leapt from the tree. He needed a mission alright. He needed one badly. But before he went to the Hokage's office, he needed to get rid of this volume, maybe grab one that didn't involve Senseis'. That wasn't going to be easy to get out of his head though. Brr, the Copy Nin shivered slightly, but turned towards his apartment. His empty, lonely apartment. He needed a lover, and needed one fast. Iruka popped up in his head, sprawled out on his bed, flushed and red, but Kakashi shook it off. Yup, a mission was definitely needed.

When he entered the mission office, he immediately saw the chaos. No one but Iruka had been able to keep the Jounins in line and it was painfully obvious by the way that the others tried and failed. Hell, Iruka was the only one who could silence the entire room with a glare. He had seen the mess when Iruka had last been here, and had seen how Anko cowered in front of the man. Then Kakashi had to go and open his mouth. Stupid idiot. He had also seen the unshed tears, and had felt even more like the ass he was. But he had only made it worse, not better. And this time he didn't think that he could make it better. What an idiot he was. Kakashi sighed and moved up in the line, until he was standing in front of Izumo.

"Yes, Hatake-san?" See? Even Iruka was the only one who would use his first name.

"What missions are available?"

"Umm. We have an S rank if you want it."

"I'll take it."

"Alright." The younger man handed over the scroll and Kakashi blanched. S-rank his ass. This was an ANBU mission. He saw Izumo nod towards Tsunade and knew that the woman had something to do with this. Whatever, at least it got him out of the village. Actually, he was thankful for that. It meant that he didn't have to think about Iruka, he could forget about the unforgettable Sensei and try to focus on his job. Maybe. Assuming he could actually bring his mind to think about other things. He sighed for the third time in the hour and vanished in a puff of smoke. Teleportation was a useful thing, but it didn't always have to involve smoke. He just liked to be showy. Reappearing in his room, he pulled out his ANBU uniform before stripping down. Staring in the mirror, he glanced over his body, eyes stopping at each scar. He was actually quite good looking, and he actually didn't mind it. However, if he did take his mask off, the amount of fan girls that he had would triple. Kakashi shuddered. Being stalked by Anko was bad enough; he didn't need anyone else to be doing it.

Kakashi snorted. There it was; perfect proof that his silver hair was natural. Pale silver curls that his currently flaccid cock rested in. Not that he'd let anyone else see it. Nor would he let anyone else see his face. Though there was a chance that he would have shown Iruka. He doubted that the Chuunin would have reacted like the girls would have. He might have blushed and smiled, but he wouldn't squeal like they would. It actually would have been a nice thing, but nope. He had to go and ruin every chance of ever having that happen. Another sigh slipped past his lips and Kakashi had to restrain himself from hitting his head against the wall. Gently he ran his fingers over the ANBU tattoo, before trailing it down the scar that graced his left arm. Glancing back at the mirror, the Copy Nin stared at his face. A strong square jaw was there, along with the scar from the eye transplant. But if you looked closely, you could see the small scar that crossed the left side of his lips. He touched it softly before sighing. It had been an attempt to not look so much like his father, but it hadn't worked as well as he had thought. Wrenching his eyes away from the mirror, Kakashi grabbed his uniform and dressed quickly before pulling his mask over his face. No longer was he Hatake Kakashi, the famed Copy Nin, but Hound, the ANBU captain.

To be honest, he had heard of Black Tiger. The man was even more famous then he was, and that was saying something. But no one had ever seen his face, not even Tsunade had. Only the Sandaime had, but he taken that secret with him to the grave. In fact, he was practically impossible to find. But lately he hadn't been seen at all. It was like he had disappeared off the face of the Earth. Kakashi himself had only met the man once or twice. The first time had been during the ANBU test, when he had faced off against him, the second had been when he had been assigned on a mission with him. It was the first time that Kakashi had been frightened, the man was powerful, and he knew it. But after that, he hadn't seen the man again. It was a relief actually, to not be stared at while he fought. Thinking back, he realized that Black Tiger was younger than him. He had joined the ANBU when he was seventeen, and Black Tiger only looked about thirteen. Apparently the man was four or so years younger than him. And when he had asked Tsunade about it, she had said that he had joined when he was eleven. According to his file, which had no photo or real name, he had become a Jounin at ten, joined the ANBU at eleven, and became a captain at twelve. This man was amazing.

When Itachi came to, he could hear the urgent whispering between Hiroki and the doctor. It sounded like they were very worried.

"What? W-what is wrong?" Instantly they turned to him. The doctor glanced at Hiroki before facing Itachi completely.

"You need to eat." He pointed to the bowl of soup sitting on the table next to the bed, watching quietly as Itachi picked up the bowl. "You're in definite need of nutrients."

"I didn't eat a lot while part of the Akatsuki for fear of poisoning... Tobi had a grudge against me."

"That explains it. You definitely need to get more nutrients, lest you lose them."

"THEM?" Itachi had caught the last part of the sentence and he choked on his soup, managing to shriek at the same time.

"Congratulations. You're pregnant."


	7. Chapter 7

"I-I-I'm WHAT?" Hiroki clamped his hands over his ears when Itachi's voice hit the breaking point. Kisame's jaw was currently lying on the ground and Sasori was bug-eyed. Well, this was interesting.

"You're pregnant." repeated the doctor. "Now lie down, shut up, and eat the damn soup. I'm going to tell Rikodo about this." Itachi snapped his mouth shut and slumped down, too shocked to really do anything else.

"I-I. . . I'm pregnant. . . . . . . I really am." He jumped when Kisame laid a hand on his belly. It was just beginning to become round, and Itachi could see the light of happiness in his lover's eyes. They had what he'd always been wanting. A family, him, Kisame, and a little girl or boy. Itachi let his head hit the pillow and closed his eyes.

The months passed by quickly, and Itachi was soon in his eighth one. It had been getting harder for him to do things, and they had confirmed the sex of the child. It was only one, but he didn't really care, he would have been happy either way. Though the strange thing was, Hiroki had been really jumpy lately. You could always find him looking towards the mountain, and Itachi had never been able to figure out why, until now. One of the Nins out on recon duty had spotted six Kohona Shinoubi headed this way. They had made it over the mountain. And as Hiroki had expected, it was Bee, Rat, Lupine, Kitsune, Feline, and Hound.

Itachi just sat outside and stared at the sky, why did they have to come now? He was perfectly comfortable living here, and in fact, he had completely forgotten about his former life in the Akatsuki. The others had all adjusted as well. For some strange reason, Deidara had also gotten knocked up, though he was only four months along. But the fact was, they were scared. Scared that they would be taken from their home, from the people they loved. It was horrifying and Itachi severely hoped that the Kohona Shinoubi wouldn't be cruel and heartless.

Kisame had tried to help him inside, but Itachi had been stubborn. He wasn't going to move, in fact, he wanted to be right there when they arrived. So Kisame had given in (not without Itachi threatening to take away all forms of intimacy for the next three months) and had helped Itachi set up a bunch of pillows that said man was currently lounging in. Hiroki was nowhere to be found, though the Uchila figured that he'd be watching from the trees.

When the Kohona Shinoubi stepped into the village, they were shocked. The village did exist, and there was a purple haired man headed their way.

"Mmmm. . . I'ma Rikodo. Who da fuck ar ya?"

"I am Hound from Kohona."

"I got tat frum ya plate. Whatcha want?"

"You have some fugitives that we want."

"Umm. Lemme thank. Nope, ain't got any."

"But that's Uchila Itachi sitting behind you."

"Nope. I ain't seeing nobody. You'll just hafta leave empty handed."

Feline lunged at Itachi, determined to bring him down, but his blade was blocked by Kisame. The shark snarled and immediately moved to Itachi's side. He lifted the now obviously pregnant man up and turned around.

"Kisame! Put me down!"

"No. I refuse to put you and my unborn child into danger." And with those words, he disappeared with Itachi into their home. Sasori, who had been leaning out of his window, snorted.

"Leave the pregnant man alone, ANBU brats."

"Pregnant? My brother is pregnant?" Feline's voice hit an all time high that could only be described as hysterical.

"Feline, even I could see that." Kitsune piped up, almost immediately getting smacked over the head. "Oi! What the hell was that for?"

"For being a smart ass." Feline's voice was soft, he sounded tired. Hound however, didn't look amused.

"We need to return to Kohona with them. Hand the members of the Akatsuki over."

"No." First the first time, Hiroki spoke up. He dropped from the tree that he had been sitting in, and stood up to his full height; two inches shorter than Hound.

"Why?"

"Because they're happier here. Itachi and Deidara are both pregnant and they need their lovers to stay with them. You will not jeopardize their lives." His voice was silent and serious, it was clear that they would fight them all if he had too. Lupine stepped forward.

"As much as I hate to admit it, he had a point, Hound-sama." Lupine's voice was cold.

Hound shook his head, and drawing his sword, he slid into position. Hiroki's own blade came out of its sheath, and he froze, waiting for Hound to make the first move. Hiroki didn't have long to wait however, and Hound vanished, teleporting behind the Uchila, determined to cut him open. Hiroki however, was quick on his feet, and the blades bounced harmlessly off of each other. The ANBU captain tried again, a quick slash, but the other man danced away from him. Damn, Hiroki was good at this. But he seemed slightly distracted, and Hound took the angle. His sword slashed upward, and Hiroki jerked back, the sound of broken porcelain hitting the ground filled the air. Hiroki Uchila skidded backwards a bit, his face looking down. Kakashi couldn't see a bit of it due to the hair that covered it. The man's sword had flown backwards as well, but Hiroki made no move to get it. In fact, he made no move at all. Quickly Hound moved again, his blade coming up fast. Hiroki flipped over backward, landing silently on the other side of the fighting zone. He took a step forward, feeling the insane grin cross over his face. He flipped his hair out of his eyes, giving everyone a clear look at his face. Hound sucked in a breath, stumbling backwards. This wasn't possible. He choked out the name of a person who had been missing for far too long.

"Iruka. . ."

**The sex of the child will be confirmed by you readers! Give me a gender, and a name! **


	8. Chapter 8

** Alright. I'm so so so so so so sorry that I disappeared off of the face of the earth, but finals really kicked my ass. I'm done now, so I should be able to update on time now. Please forgive me if it's not as long as you would have liked... -.-' I can't believe that I forgot to post last Saturday.**

The entire clearing was silent. This was something that none of them had ever expected. Perhaps it was because the Iruka was the kindest, sweetest person that they had ever met. They had never believed that he would be able to do something as extreme as this. But maybe that was why he had done it, to prove them wrong. Although, there was something about the former teacher that screamed that something was wrong. Maybe it was his posture, his new scars, or it could have been the insane smile crossing his lips. Whatever it was, Kakashi knew that Iruka was not the gentle person he used to be.

When the Chuunin repositioned his weight, Kakashi immediately moved onto the defense. Then he was gone, Hound froze. That wasn't a move that Iruka was supposed to be able to use, he wasn't an ANBU member! Thinking quickly, the Copy Nin leapt backwards, skidding across the ground to block Iruka's attack. The normally sane Chuunin slid backwards, blade in hand, before looking innocently towards the group from Kohona. The former Sensei giggled, before dissolving into the ground. 'Not sane anymore.' Kakashi decided. It hurt to think that he would have to kill the man that he used to love, but if it was to keep the village that he cared for safe, he would do it. When Iruka reappeared, his eyes were closed, but they soon opened, showing the swirling tomoe of the Sharingan. The moment the Sensei blinked however, the normal form was gone, instead the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan was there. Hound cursed under his breath. This was going to be difficult. Closing his right eye, he let his own Mangekyo Sharingan slide open, the spinning swirls easily picking up on Iruka's chakra. Kakashi frowned slightly, something was off about Iruka's chakra, but he was pulled out of his musing when an explosion went off in front of him. Both eyes flickered open and Kakashi stared at Iruka, who was laughing.

The ex-Chuunin lifted the fingers on his left hand over his head; an orb quickly reforming as his eyes glowed, gaining a cat-like quality. The glowing orb was filled with power, and Kakashi swallowed, Iruka was a lot stronger than anyone had ever thought. The Sensei launched the attack, his smile becoming larger as the orb smashed into the ground in front of the ANBU. However, the smile soon turned into a frown when the smoke cleared, Kitsune had stepped in front of Hound, easily blocking the attack. But then Iruka was in front of him, backhanding Naruto into the nearest tree. The former Nin's eyes glowed again, but Kakashi was faster. He slammed his hand into the back of Iruka's neck causing the man to black out, but not before Iruka tore his side open. Blood dripped to the ground; Kakashi had flipped Iruka over his shoulder; before he turned to the others.

"We're heading back to Konoha. Help Sasori and Kisame carry their loved ones and I'll take Iruka. Let's move!" Rikoto sighed under his breath. His couldn't believe how much Iruka had slipped. It was a shame that the boy was so wild right now, but as long as he was safe and with his loved one, it would be fine. Or at least he hoped that it turned out that way.

Iruka was still out cold by the time they had reached the village; it had taken longer than normal due to Hound's injury; and the Nins quickly raced towards Sandaime's office. He wouldn't like this. Not one bit. Hound stepped forward and rapped on the door, listened for a moment, then opened it. The Sandaime was sitting in his chair behind his desk, Shizune standing at his side.

"You're back I see."

"Yes, Sandaime-sama. We caught Hiroki as well. But you're not going to like this." Hound gently pulled the body away from him, ignoring the coughing coming from the Sandaime and Ibiki. Shizune's jaw was on the ground.

"Iruka!? Iruka is Hiroki?" Hound nodded.

"Bring the others in." Rat stepped through the door, followed by Kisame. He was carrying Itachi in his arms. Sasori also entered, helping Deidara to walk.

"They're members of the Akatsuki..." Tsunade had stepped through the door.

"Hime-sama. Can you heal my side? Iruka tore it open." Tsunade nodded before walking over to see the wound. It was deep, like sharp claws had torn the flesh open.

"Place Iruka on the couch." Hound nodded silently, and did what she asked, flinching slightly as she poked at his skin. "Yeah brat, I can heal this."

The entire room froze when Iruka groaned softly. He sat up, rubbing his eyes with a hand, before a mocking smile slipped across his lips.

"Injured much Hound? Mmmm. I don't like Hound. I should call you Mutt." Kakashi growled deep in his throat, but the others ranged from amusement to shock. Iruka snickered. "Easy Mutt. I don't bite." He flashed razor sharp teeth, easily coming close to mirroring Kisame's own. The smile faded as he looked the Sandaime straight in the face. "Mmm. I see you still haven't kicked the bucket yet. I respect that. Old, yet still powerful enough to kick my ass. Unlike Mutt over here."

Kakashi outright snarled. "He had to resort to dirty tactics to knock me out. Oh well, no one can be as strong as you. Although, Tsunade's getting pretty damn close. Which reminds me. Jiraiya, how is he? Besides dead I mean. Oh wait; I wasn't supposed to say that, was I?

Naruto was the first to react. "Ero-sannin is still alive?!"

"Nope. Dead as a doornail." Naruto's face fell. "But I can change that. Maybe. If I feel like it. Mmmm. You've met Minato, right?" Naruto nodded. "Has he told you the truth yet?" Naruto tilted his head sideways.

"Truth?"

"About your mother."

"My mom was Kyuubi's original holder, right?"

"... How do I say this...? She was your aunt. Minato's sister. Well, half-sister anyway, same father, different mother. But she wasn't your mother. Not your real one. Her pregnancy was false, so that the real one could be hidden."

"What? And how do you even know this?" The room was dead silent.

"Because I helped deliver you when you were born."

"If you know so much, then who the fuck was my real mother?" Iruka was suddenly silent, pink beginning to spread across his face.

"..."

"... Speak up dammit."

It was so soft. Barely heard, but it sent the entire room into an uproar. "Minato was."


	9. Chapter 9

"That's not possible!" Iruka remained silent during the outburst.

"He's male. Last time I checked, men couldn't give birth."

"..." Iruka didn't really want to give it away, but if he was to explain everything, he would have to tell them the whole truth. He snickered before parting his lips. But before he could speak, he was interrupted.

"I'm shocked that you're alive." The growling showed that Nine-Tails had come to surface, he had been silent the whole time, quietly observing Iruka.

"Are you? I wasn't under the impression that you; the great Kyuubi; could be shocked." Iruka's voice was filled with sarcasm.

"Hmm. You still have your sense of humor, Jyunshi."

"Oh! So you finally figured out who I am! You actually remember my name! I'm... flattered."

"It's not that hard Jyunshi, or should I call you Jyuubi?" Sharp intakes of breath came from the other people in the room. Iruka - Jyunshi leapt backwards off the couch as tails formed behind him. He landed silently, all ten tails moving silently around his body. The ten-tailed demon preened, liking the attention that he was receiving.

"Oh dear, I've been found out." Jyunshi laughed before his face hardened. "It's been so long, Kyuubi. I've missed you."

Hound spoke up, "I thought that Jyuubi was sealed in the moon."

"Nope! That was a lie! I was sealed in Ruka-kun here. He's a lot older than you think he is." Jyuubi's voice was filled with amusement.

"How old is he Jyunshi?" Bee stepped forward, cautious but curious. The whole room was dead silent.

"Oh, he's easily several thousand by now." He sniffed. "The life of an immortal being is difficult, no?"

"What sort of immortal being?" Kyuubi took a step forward.

Jyunshi smiled. "Why he's a Kyrugan of course."

"What's a Kyrugan?"

"A Dark Elf that's very powerful, but beautiful as well. They're often known as bewitchers because they've stolen so many hearts. I thought that they all died out several years ago..." Kyuubi answered Rat's question before Jyunshi could. He knew that the Jyuubi would launch into an elaborate explanation that they wouldn't need.

"Well, we didn't die. We just went into hiding. See... Minato was also one of us."

"Was he a half-dark elf?"

"Actually, he was pure. Like Iruka is. See, all Dark Elves have the ability Shisnito."

"Shisnito?"

"Regardless of gender, Dark Elves can bear a child. Minato got knocked up. He hid it well too. Your aunt knew and she did a fake jutsu to make it look like she was the one pregnant."

"Who was my father?"

"That you don't want to know."

"I do want to know."

"Trust me, you don't.

"Trust me. I do."

"Fine, just don't bite my head off."

"Who was it?"

Iruka was silent for a moment. "Jiraiya was."

Naruto sank onto a couch. The others were silent again. "Wow..."

"Oh, my. It looks like Iruka wants out. Sorry! See you later, especially the sexy ANBU with the silver hair." Hound choked, but managed dart forward fast enough to catch Iruka before he hit the ground. Familiar brown eyes opened slowly before the Sensei became aware of whose arms he was in. A squeak escaped his lips and Iruka vanished in a puff of mist. He reappeared and desperately tried to pull himself together.

"Iruka-Sensei." The Chuunin froze and stiffly turned towards them.

"Yes?"

"May I ask why you relinquished control to Jyuubi?"

"No." The answer was sharp and cold. The room was silent. Iruka rarely refused anything, so it must have been something traumatizing. Not that it mattered though.

"In any case, you have been relieved of all counts of betrayal. This will just count as an extended vacation." Iruka froze, and then smiled brightly.

"Itachi, Kisame, Sasori, and Deidara are welcome to join the Village of the Leaf if they wish to." For the first time, Tsunade spoke up.

"Really?" Itachi was on his feet instantly, swaying only slightly. That was when the Sandaime noted the pregnant men.

"You're pregnant, Itachi?"

"Problem?"

"Tsunade, will you check him over?"

"Deidara's also knocked up." Itachi smirked when Deidara hurled a pen from the Sandaime's desk at him and Tsunade.

"Stay away from me, un! I don't like needles, un."

Itachi snickered. "Take it like a man, Deidara."

"Says the man who screams when he sees a spider, un." The blonde shot back as Itachi's eyes narrowed.

Iruka blinked, slowly digesting the information, before deciding to test it out. Making sure that no one was paying attention, he summoned a spider, and let it crawl onto Itachi's shoulder, before backing up a few paces. Itachi, feeling the movement on his shoulder, turned his head and looked the hairy tarantula in the face.

Instantly several of the windows shattered as Itachi's voice went up several octaves. "GET IT OFF ME!" Iruka was having the time of his life. The Chuunin was choking back his laughter as Itachi flailed his arms, which soon became an evil smile as he plucked the spider from Itachi's shoulder.

"I got it. It's gone now." He hid the arachnid behind his back, let it return to it's full size, and watched as Itachi's face went pale.

"Big spider. On your back. Holy fuck it's huge." Itachi was shaking, eyes wide as Kisame helped him back up. All the others were doing the same thing.

"They seem to be scared of me." It was a smooth purr causing several to jump. Itachi hurled himself into Kisame's arms with a shriek. Iruka didn't even flinch.

"Hello to you too, Claude. Did you miss me?" The gigantic spider extended one of its legs, gently resting it on the ground before the rest of its body followed. Pakkun choked back a sob, this thing was three times bigger than Bull, if not bigger. Even Ibiki looked alarmed, judging by the way the man was fidgeting with his shirt. Tsunade was instantly standing on the Sandaime's desk, and it would have been funny if the reason why wasn't so fucking big. Kakashi and several others were clearly resisting joining her up there.

"Not really Ru-koi-kun. I had Ichi, Aren, Ren, and Zero to annoy me. Kana, Grimm, Bya, and Havi to piss me off. Yuu, Tyki, Val and Lavi to tease me. And Sebby to try and kill me. Oh well, at least with you I get fed."

"That bad eh?"

"Worse than you're thinking."

"How so?"

"Sebastian was in heat."

"Oi vey. Horny and trying to kill you?"

"Yup. He's been trying to mate with Val for the past week, but Havi's pissed."

"Isn't Val already claimed by Havi?"

"Uh-huh. But Sebby's not buying it. He's determined to have Val as his own."

"This is going to be interesting. I'll have to drop by to watch it."

"Do you really think it's funny? I'm going to be killed here! Sebastian thinks I'm a rival for Val's love!" Iruka snorted.

"When you obviously love Sebastian and not Val."

"Well, duh!"

"Sebastian's kind of dense, isn't he?" Claude just looked at Iruka. The Chuunin grinned and ducked, avoiding the leg that swooshed over his head.

"Fine. I'll try and rescue you next time. And change please, you're scaring the others."

Claude yawned and blinked. "Scare? I don't know what you're talking about."

**If you noticed the names, congratulations. They're my favorite pairings from the mangas that I read. If you can name where each person (Be careful, some names are abbreviated) comes from and who they're paired with, (Extra lemony if you can guess who's Seme and who's Uke!) I'll write you a one-shot with the pairing of your choice!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright, let's see if I can get this thing written without my mother kicking me off. Although, it will be a challenge, but I figure that if I ignore her long enough, she'll go away. It isn't working right now, but maybe it will sometime soon. Hopefully before I die from being talked to death?**

"And why would I need to change? I'm happy as I am right now."

"Claude..." Iruka's eyes narrowed dangerously and the others watched as the spider paled drastically. "I'm sure you'd love to keep certain bits still attached to your body..."

The summon blanched and skittered several steps backwards. He didn't want to end up looking like Mitzuki; that would be bad for his ego and a huge blow to his pride. And it was also the fact that he wouldn't be able to take Sebastian as his mate that made Claude carefully think over how he was going to go through with this. Stepping forward again, the spider felt his skin begin to peel away as he let the transformation take over his senses. Fire burned along four of his limbs, removing them, as the other four slid around his body to the proper position. Eyes dissolved in mist leaving the final two behind. His body combined together leaving smooth, marble colored skin; that quickly disappeared beneath a black suit. Midnight black hair curled around his face, combed to impeccable neatness. Knowing golden eyes blinked quickly, readjusting to the brightness of the room. Reaching into his jacket, Claude pulled a pair of glasses out and slipped them over his nose. He was gorgeous, and out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi could see Anko drooling. Tsunade had stepped off the desk and stared at the former spider. He bowed and then stood to attention.

"Your highness."

"Your highness?" Kakashi's eyebrow; along with most of the others in the room; had gone up.

Iruka ginned sheepishly, "I let them call me what they want." Claude's smile widened and he spun around.

"I see I have some admirers."

"You be quiet."

"Yes, your highness." The mock bow that followed the statement resulted in Iruka taking a hefty swing at Claude's head with the ice spear that he had snapped into existence. As all good summons would do, Claude ducked, but wasn't prepared for the sweeping foot that followed. He landed flat on his ass, shock clearly showing on his face.

"Behave Claude. Or else."

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'll summon Sebastian and tell him that you're planning to sweep Val off his feet."

Claude visibly paled. "You wouldn't. He'll kill me!" Completely ignoring his plight, Iruka reformed the summon seal and slammed his hands on the ground. Claude vanished instantly, as the second puff of smoke faded to reveal a young man. Same black hair, but it fell to his shoulders. He wore black leather pants with knee high high-heeled boots of the same color. A white button down shirt was tucked into his pants, and a pair of black feathered wings completed the look. Brown eyes that flashed to red surveyed the room, searching for the reason why he had been summoned.

"You called, my lord?"

"No reason. Wanted to show you off."

Sebastian sniffed. "The no-good Spider was here, I see."

"No-good Spider?"

"Claude."

"Ahh." Iruka looked thoughtful for a moment.

"He's after my intended again, isn't he?"

"Seb..." A harsh glare. "Claude has not bit of interest in Val. And besides, Val's already with Havi. Believe me, he already has his eyes set on someone else, but they're a little too dense to realize it. Just leave him alone." Sebastian frowned.

"Fine. But I want to know where the hell he is."

"He left when I summoned you."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed slowly, the gears in his mind whirling away. He had been summoned because Iruka knew that Claude would flee from him. "I am not something you can summon to chase away unwanted beings."

"Oops. I'll have to remember that."

"That's Shiva's job." Iruka snickered.

"Don't let her hear that."

"True. I prefer not to get frozen."

"Well then, perhaps you should go find Claude. I think that he might be at the lake."

A simple nod was received before Sebastian disappeared in a burst of purple flames. Iruka's grin widened.

Everyone's attention was on the demon's majestic disappearance, so no one noticed Iruka quickly gathering up everything from his desk and disappearing in a small burst of water as well. One of the reasons was so that he didn't have to explain his relationship with the Uchila family, and the other was his age. It would be awkward to tell them that he had helped build Kohona with the First.

"Iruka-sensei!" When she didn't receive a response the Hokage spun around, only to see an empty desk. "Damn! He escaped! That man has an uncanny sense of timing. Always disappears when I have questions I want to ask him!" Kakashi let out a soft whistle resulting in Tsunade turning her anger on him.

"Are you praising him?" Her voice had become sober.

"More like admiring his ability to teleport from a room full of Jounin ANBU without any of us noticing."

"...You're right... How did he do that?"

The Sandaime blinked. "I think I know someone who might be able to help us with that."

"Really?"

"No. All of Iruka's family is dead, besides Sasuke and Itachi. I highly doubt that either of them would know what he did."

Kisame gently set Itachi down on his feet. "No, I didn't even notice that he was gone. It was like it was natural or something. There wasn't any chakra involved."

"We need someone related to Iruka... Or someone who has known him long enough to know someone who would be able to tell us what he did there. Anko?"

"Nope. I don't have any ideas."

A knock on the door interrupted what they were doing.

"Come in."

The door slid open revealing the Mizukage of the Mist. He bowed slightly, along with the two ANBU at his side.

"These two are Grey Otter and White Sparrow."

"It's nice to meet you..." The Sandaime trailed off, unsure of what to call him.

"Kyo. My name is Kyo Umino."


	11. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Alright guys,

Go ahead. Be mad at me. I know I deserve it, dropping of the radar like I did. But I do have a reason. Lemme see, how do I explain this? Let's start with the review/disguised flame. I always take things wrong, and I don't take any form of critisism well. I can handle BETAs because that is what they do. Take your work apart, sew it up halfway and let the writer do the rest of it.

To the lovely reader who picked my work apart and sewed it back up halfway, thank you. I'm sorry that I reacted like that, and I should have the next chapters up soon. But, there is a little favor I want to ask of you. Could you make an account and message me? I'd like to send you the rest of the chapters for Lying Eyes and let you take a look at them. Seeing as you know the Narutoverse so well, it would make me really happy if you could check for my mistakes. I'm already dragging my ass back through the other chapters to correct the errors that you pointed out. If I remember right, I have five or six more chapters from what is already posted.

Actually, that wasn't all that I wanted to talk about. I WILL take up my stories again, but it will be only one at a time. I envy those who can write multiple ones at once, but with my current incapability to write, i don't think that's going to happen. It's not that I can't write, it's that I can't write something that I'm pleased with and I often find myself deleting a couple hundred words at a time because I don't like it. It really sets me back and I know that I won't be able to have several chapters up at once. I'm also becoming more distracted of late, I've already written several one-shots (Not finished of course) but they're still there, telling me that I should be writing on my main story. It's not working, seeing as they continue to grow longer while my main stories sit untouched.

It was acutally my best friend who helped me get into the writing mood again. She saw what I didn't, the lovely read was just trying to help. While I wallowed in misery, she smacked me over the head and chained me to the computer, saying if I wrote 500 words, she would unlock me. I wrote almost 2000. I feel better now, much more free. But there's a catch. Chores. That one damned word. My mother is making me take over much of the house work, including doing laundry and making meals. I REALLY don't want to do them, but it's not like I have a choice. Take from me, if I did, I'd be eating Ramen three times a day, seven days a week. I find that I'm much happier if I write, so I'll be trying my best to write as much as I can.

Gravity's Child


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